8 Hawaii Candidates Declared Winners Before Election Day

By Loren Moreno

Published: 2014.06.04 02:38 PM

State Rep. Marcus Oshiro ran unopposed in House District 46.

Photo: Courtesy of Hawaii House of Representatives – Majority

How can someone win an election before even a single ballot has been cast? That’s what happens when a candidate has no challenger. We pointed out a few weeks ago that 14 Hawaii candidates were running unopposed. Come the final deadline, the number decreased to eight. (We like to think we had something to do with that.) Here are those candidates who won the election outright, before any of us had a chance to vote. All of them have served in elective office which tends to discourage first-time candidates from jumping in. No disrespect to the hard-working lawmakers on this list but the lack of competition kind of makes us think about that great bumper sticker: No Vote, No Grumble.

1. State Senate District 7 (East Maui, Upcountry, Molokai-Lanai)

State Sen. Kalani English (D), incumbent

2. State Senate District 16 (Pearl City, Aiea)

City Councilmember Breene Harimoto (D), replacing state Sen. David Ige, who is running for governor.

About Our Writers

This is HONOLULU Magazine’s take on politics. We know our readers are smart, savvy people who vote. Of course, we’ll follow the issues, the players and the money. But we’ll also keep an eye out for the quirkier stuff: Who’s winning the yard-sign wars, campaign survival tips; and check out the food and the fashion on the campaign trail. The section is edited by HONOLULU Magazine editor Robbie Dingeman, a political junkie who has covered Hawai‘i state, county and federal politics for more than 25 years at two daily newspapers and one television newsroom.

Treena Shapirohas been covering state and county government in Hawai‘i for 15 years, primarily writing about politics and education for two daily newspapers and three wire services. She is now a producer for “Insights on PBS Hawai‘i,” a weekly public affairs program that airs Thursday evenings.More from Treena »